Sheep Hunters Checklist

Thought I would share my final packing checklist for Alaska Dall Sheep hunt. On this type of trip with weight limits the packing has to be near perfect! The Outfitter had a pretty good checklist, but I modified it a little, mainly because I had more electronics video, sat phone, and camera/gps. This outfitter is pretty passionate about certain brands and models for certain things, 30 years experience in these rough conditions have proven what works and doesn't. For example I went off recommendation and got the Cabelas Instinct Gaitors instead of the Outdoor Research Crocodiles. I paid the price! Cabbalas Instinct are probably OK for 99% of things, but not rough Alaska! They weren't water tight and tore easily, the boot straps come out, and eventually straps rip off. Everyone else had the OR Crocodiles and they were perfect. Another thing I changed was went with Nogalus Prairie advice on the Eberlestock J107M Dragonfly Backpack instead of the high dollar Kuiu or Kifaru. I still believe those are great backpacks, but I was 100% pleased with the Dragonfly! Within pound of the others and it has the internal gun sleeve that is priceless! I had a rough fall where I came down off top of boulder landing on my back first before finishing in the creek. The gun was perfect and unhurt!

A couple notes. My backpack with these items weighed about 48 lbs. for the flight in, once you remove everything for the day hikes it comes down to about 35 lbs. I highly recommend the Medium Ziplock suction bags which I don't think anyone does yet, I found them by accident at the container store. Store your day to day clothes in them and at home hook the vacuum cleaner up which sucks all the air out compressing them very small. The great news is in camp you can suck them out with your mouth and still get about 95% of the suction.

Assumes:

• Dall/Stone/Rocky Mountain cold weather
• 10-14 day Hunt
• 50 pound backpack limit flight in
• spike tents, food, snacks, and water provided

Duffel Bag - Left at Airport:

• clothes for commercial flights & driving
• additional bathroom items

Hard Gun Case - Left at Airport:

• 2 locks (TSA locks?)

Rifle Sock - Fly-in (doesn't count towards 50 lbs):

• rifle (3 in mag, none in chamber)
• scope cover

On Person - Fly-in (doesn't count towards 50 lbs):

• Cabelas Alaskan Hunter Boots w/aftermarket Soles
• Pocket Knife
• Wallet (Drivers License, Hunters Safety, Cash)
• Ball Cap
• Light Gloves
• Light Winter Hat
• winter coat
• heavy winter hat
• face mask
• winter gloves
• Binocs (small light weight 10x)
• Glasses (regular & sun glasses)
• Glass wipes
• Mobile Phone
• (1) camo shirt & pants
• (1) cold shirt zip
• gaitors (Outdoor Research Crocodiles)

Backpack - Included for Hike (counts towards 50 lbs):

• Contour HD Video Camera
• phone backup charge pack
• (2) 32 oz. water bottles
• Snacks
• (1) walking stick - 2 not needed
• tp, wipes, ph in ziplock
• (1) pair rainsuit
• wiggy's
• box bullets
• head light
• range finder
• Off Bug wipes
• Sat phone
• Tags
• Hike Bathroom Bag
  • Blister Pack (Bandaids, Moleskin Pad)
  • Sun tan lotion
  • Lighter
  • Advil
  • chap stick

Backpack - Removed at Base Camp (counts towards 50 lbs):

• Sleeping Bag (20+ degree early August, 10 degree late August, 0- September)
• Sleeping Pad (Therma Rest)
• Blow Up Pillow
• Compression Sack for Sleeping Bag
• Small Towel
• Pair Long Underwear
• (1) camo shirt & pants
• rubber camp shoes
• Hunt Days x liner socks
• Hunt Days x outside socks
• Hunt Days x underwear
• (12) Ziplock bags
• (2) Large trash bags
• (2) extra Contour HD batteries
• charge cords/plugs (camera, phone, battery pack, sat phone)
• Sat phone extra battery
• Backup glasses
• Medium Ziplock suction Bags
• Bore cleaner
• Backup soles
• Camp Bathroom Bag
  • Blister Pack (Vasaline, Bandaids, Moleskin application, Moleskin pads)
  • gum
  • soap
  • shampoo
  • ear swabs
  • lotion
  • baby powder
  • ear plugs (for snoring)
  • medication/advil/benedryal
  • Neosporin
  • eye drops
  • mouth wash
  • toothpaste
  • toothbrush
  • tweezers
  • clippers
  • knee braces
  • germ x

Optional

• zoom video camera
• solar panels
• mobile boot drier

I did not see you list your sheep tag.....I just couldn't resist.

Have a Great Hunt and post pictures.

Texans don't need one. Under backpack, leave wallet at camp. There is ridiculous amount of different things for one sheep. permit, license, and locking tag.

Bow/gun
ammunition
knife
TP
Lunchables
water
snuff
clothes I have on and pair of boots.


done

to bad there isn't a tube of food like toothpaste comes you can just squeeze out and be done in 3 seconds.... eating is such a burden on hunts... takes up valuable time

Germ x?
good list.

Mountain hardware makes a really good gaitor too. I know a guy how gets a big discount

My mountain hunting checklist is similar. Personally, I wouldn't take a sat phone at all. Instead, I'd substitute a light spotting scope and tripod.....my B&L Elite 15x45-60mm spotter is light and compact and has been with me to the top of many a mountain.

Good list.

Mine is similar too. But I will copy yours, as I always get new ideas from other guys' lists. Thanks for sharing.

On my first sheep hunt, when packing the horses for the 23 mile ride up to spike camp, my guide jettisoned about 1/2 the stuff I had lugged all the way from TX to the Yukon. "You won't need this...or this....or this....WTH is this?...." And on and on. LOL.

I am so pleased you liked the J107 and it served you so well. I cannot seem to get away from it.

You had horses?

Rob Lay :
Listening exactly to the brand and recommendations of outfitter . I learned that after my first trip. I'm still missing that toenail .
Great list my only suggestion is small things like I used soap for shampoo.

Lol yes we had horses. Thank goodness. Although it did seem like we were leading them more than riding them sometimes. No hunting from them, as they couldn't go where the sheep lived. It sure was nice to have some luxuries like eggs and bacon at camp thanks to the pack string though.

Yep my thoughts also, don't need a Ritchie Rich and Mr Drummond list

Whiskey ?

there is. i've used the food tubes from coghlan's for that very thing before.
fill it up with peanut butter, clip it, and go. you can also use that GU energy
paste stuff the triathlon folks eat.and metrex bars.
https://www.campmor.com/c/coghlans-reusable-plastic-food-squeeze-tubes-23124

can't make the GU link work- campmor has like 12 flavors

That list may not work out so well on a sheep hunt. Which is the subject of the thread.

iv made less work

never been on a sheep hunt but still..... bring it on

Not doggin your list though Rob good luck on your hunt!

He already went............

I found that when I hunted Dall sheep in the Alaska Range, everything got wet in the first two days. I brought a change of socks and under shirts, but only wore the one pair of pants every day and I had one warm sweater, a light jacket and a heavy jacket. I also brought a very large, thin, white hooded coat that I wore over my parka. The white color was supposed to make the sheep think we where other sheep. I feel it worked to some degree, but there is only so close you can get to them when they see you, but from a distance, they didn't seem to care about us. Ideally, getting above them works the best. Then never look up for danger in my experience.

Be sure that what you have will keep you warm when it's wet. There is no way to dry anything out in the tent because they are so small, and everything is wet all the time anyway. Probably the most painful experience was taking off my boots and socks,holding them in the air and walking through the creaks barefoot. The pain of that glacier cold water was almost too much. It was so cold it burned!!!! A spotting scope is a must, but if your guide has a good one, then don't waste you time or energy carrying one. He will make the call and it really doesn't matter if you are looking at him or not with the spotting scope. You can see him with your binoculars. Then rely on what he says, or borrow his spotting scope if he says it's a good one. No matter how good of shape you are in, you will never be in as good of shape as a sheep guide. Let him carry as much as possible, just keeping up will be your challenge. Also realize that you will end up in some very dangerous terrain. If he offers to carry your rifle for you in those conditions, accept his offer. Pride has nothing over an injury, or getting in position for a good shot. Remember, while you are struggling for air, your muscles are on fire and your vision is blurred from the lack of air and exhaustion, your guide is smiling and enjoying himself. It's nothing for him to help out and carry your rifle for a little bit.

Be sure to have clean clothes for the trip home.

I think you would be OK, but if bush plane or horses allow 50 lbs, why not use it? You can leave what you want at base camp.

I couldn't understand guide making such big deal about keeping dry, but learned. Sure you can survive a day wet feet and clothes, but then it makes the next days that much harder. Most of the weight is clothes. Honestly hiking I dressed like I do Texas in summer single layer pants and shirt. You will overheat and sweat to death otherwise. It is important to have more layers for warmth when you work high and not moving. Also rain suit if moisture or extra warmth layer. At least one other set of clothes needed for next day as things don't dry out easily once wet, even by fire.

All the bathroom stuff little travel hotel sizes. I don't believe in taking things you don't need, but it is hard enough when you are 100% healthy and equipment 100%. Some of those light bathroom items go a long ways getting you back to 100% for that next hard day.

I only took 1 bag shower in 13 days. Really didn't need more than that. Only really started to smell sitting around camp. Something about hiking all day in mountains and rain that keeps you pretty clean. Only had 2 main sets of clothes and they weren't smelly at end. Originally I couldn't imagine not having 4-5 sets of clothes, but now I get it.

At remote camps we ate Mountain Home which is great stuff! Lunch every day we had Moose salami.

Plenty of water until we started up. Everytime we started stalk to top we would start with 2 full bottles. They would be empty by the top and we would still be couple hours from getting back down to water. Guides and me would all be cramping by bottom and have to get hydrated again quickly.

The national geographic food is pretty good some of it is better then mountain house. More calories and cheaper.

Fire at sheep camp? Not where I was. There where no trees, no wood, and nothing was dry. You wrung out the days clothes that where soaking wet, hung them from the ceiling of your tent and hoped they didn't drip too much on your sleeping bag while you slept. Then you put them back on wet again in the morning before heading out

man that sounds like a blast!!


but when you say plane... was that a maybe or is that somehting that has to happen... me no like plane

there are so many different kinds of hunts and access methods for Dall in Alaska. nonresidents are required to have a guide and most guides have concessions from National or State parks. my outfitters concession is 50 miles from the nearest road and that is a rough road in Canada the outfitter brings their horses in from. most roads are 75+ miles. there is river you can get airboat into, but that is still 10 miles from base camp. This outfitter uses Cessna 206 100 miles from Tok landing on sand bar where a Super Cub then takes you 10 miles to the base camp. their concession is about 50 by 25 miles, so from base camp they have remote camps anywhere from 5 to 15 miles away. 95% of their concession isn't touched by residents although they are legal to hunt there and you know how tough the resident hunters can be. Just tells you how remote and hard to access and hunt this area really is.

I read a Dall book by a resident and he would hike in, ATV, or bike from nearest access points. So would all the other residents and one reason there is only a 5-10% success rate by residents. To raise your odds you had to be willing to go another 10-20+ more miles than even the tough hunters. In this case you would want to stay light as possible, but you would also have to carry in all your own food and sleeping unlike us. Also remember how much weight and trips to get that plus your sheep out. Illegal to remove the horns until all your meat is carried out. Alaska is also very strict about not wasting any meat, I know on the Caribou they will hit you hard if you don't take all the neck and rib meat for example.

I give MAJOR credit to the hard core resident hunters. It is cool that most can draw a tag almost every year, but those guys are hard core hauling everything in themselves and having to go harder and further than the other hard core residents. Still only a 5-10% success rate where success with outfitters is about 75%.